September 28, 2010
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News: Card Fraud Ringleaders Arrested
Taco Bell customers in Grand Rapids, Michigan found themselves paying for more than a taco or burrito over the past few months. Credit card thieves stole the card information of hundreds of Taco Bell customers and then used them to make counterfeit credit cards. The authorities arrested Roger Torres and Onil Rivas Perez after an investigation found they were running a credit card scam ring. The two would pay off Taco Bell employees to swipe customer cards with a skimming device and then paid them as much as $2,000 upon return of the device. The skimming device is used to capture the magnetic strip information of the cards. Taco Bell employees would run the customer's card through the device before returning it to the customer.
With the help of the U.S. Secret Service, West Michigan investigators were able to uncover the credit card fraud ring after a number of individuals complained of unauthorized transactions on their bank and card statement. Torres and Perez convinced Taco Bell employees to steal the card information in exchange for as much as $2,000 when the skimmers were returned. The two ringleaders then used the stolen information to manufacture counterfeit cards. They then turned around and used the counterfeit cards to purchase gift cards from the Meijer store. According to the authorities, all the Taco Bell employees who used the skimming device to steal the debit and credit card information have been terminate and criminal charges are pending.
Meanwhile, the two ringleaders, Torres and Perez have both been charged with felony crimes relating to the credit card theft. Torres, who reportedly owns the Expo Landscaping, has been released on bond. The current situation with Perez has not been released. The police estimate that the two thieves defrauded each cardholder out of anywhere between $100 and $4,000. Lenders have been working with victims to get their money back, but it is a long process. The authorities are warning Michigan residents that if they have visit a Taco Bell in the Grand Rapids area over the past four months, they should examine their bank or card statements immediately for any suspicious activity.